During the WTA finals in Singapore, the annual awards were presented in various categories – Angelique Kerber was also honoured.
The WTA Awards have been presented and one Spaniard is particularly pleased: Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza has been voted WTA Player of the Year. The choice of 22-year-olds is supported by historical facts. After the US Open, Muguruza became number one in the world; the first Spaniard since Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario in 1995.
In addition to her second Grand Slam title in London, the first of which she won at the 2016 French Open, Muguruza has also achieved another feat: she is the only player so far to have defeated both Williams sisters in a major finale – Venus in Wimbledon, Serena in Paris a year earlier.
In addition, the semi-finals in Brisbane, Rome, Birmingham and Tokyo in 2017, as well as the title in Cincinnati, will be joined.
The player with the biggest comeback was the US-American Sloane Stephens. In January 2017, the 24-year-old underwent an operation on her left foot to win the US Open just eight months later. No player has ever won the title in New York with a ranking of 83 or worse.
Another award went to an American woman, Catherine “Cici” Bellis, who was only 18 years old. In keeping with her age and world ranking position 44, Bellis was awarded the “Newcomer of the Year” award. The young lady from San Francisco started the year from 90th position and played her way up to the semi-finals in Mallorca and Birmingham.
The WTA Awards are, of course, not to be missed: French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko was named the player with the greatest development. The Latvian rider improved from 44th place to seventh place in the world ranking this year and secured her first participation in the WTA finals in Singapore. She is one of eight players who won at least two tournaments in a calendar year – and the coup in Paris was joined by the triumph in Seoul.
A German was also awarded by the WTA. Angelique Kerber was honored with the Jerry Diamond Aces Award. This award is given to the player who is exemplary in her efforts to promote the sport and its public image. This also includes a lively commitment in the charity sector. Among other things, Kerber visited children’s clinics and supported social projects.
Martina Hingis and her partner Chan Yung-Jan were honoured as the double of the year. The titles in Indian Wells, Madrid, Rome, Mallorca, Eastbourne, Cincinnati, Wuhan, Peking and the Grand Slam titles at the US Open speak a clear language for WTA’s decision. The Swiss-China double reached at least the quarter-finals in each tournament participation and secured a 9:0 final result.
The games of the WTA-Fianals in Singapore